Reunion
by Skrain Dukat
Summary: Slash. Garak/Bashir. Set approximately 15 years after the end of the series. Julian leaves Starfleet to pursue the only man he ever truly loved. But will he find him? And if he does, are the feelings still mutual? Julian Bashir's POV
1. Chapter 1

It was a day I had been looking forward to for over 15 years. Ever since Garak had left Deep Space Nine to help rebuild Cardassia, I'd wanted so badly to utter the words I finally said that morning. "I quit."

The Admiral had, of course, tried to reason with me, saying that Starfleet needed me, my medical expertise. Tried luring me with a cushy job aboard a ship, any ship I wanted. At almost 50, however, I knew exactly what I wanted. That is, if he would still have me.

"Doctor," a familiar voice from behind pulled me from my thoughts.

"Mm?" I asked, turning around. I'd been gazing out at the stars through one of the viewports of the promenade. "What can I do for you, Ezri?"

"I just wanted to say good luck, and I'm proud of you for what you're doing."

Her words struck me odd, and I gave her a confused look. "Proud? Of what?"

"Giving up everything you know for someone you love." Her mouth curled upwards in a sly grin. I held my arms out, offering a hug. She accepted. "I'll miss you."

"And I'll miss you as well, Dax. It's been a great privilege to be your friend. Through two lifetimes, even." Ezri nodded. "Right, I better get moving. The transport I'm booked on is scheduled to leave at 1500 hours."

"Need any help packing?" she asked as we pulled away from each other again. I shook my head quickly.

"No, no, I'm all done packing. I just have a few people I need to say goodbye to. You know how it is."

"And that's a private matter. And I understand." She gave a smile that was entirely Jadzia's and for a moment I desperately missed her.

We stood in silence for a moment before we both turned and looked out the viewport for a while.

At 1400 hours I returned to my quarters to grab the last of my things and do one final sweep to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything I would truly miss, aside from the Alamo model which Ezri claimed she'd keep as a way of remembering Miles and me. I knew she was lying, however. But it was a lie to make me feel better about leaving it behind.

Carrying my meager possessions in a couple of bags strapped across my chest, I paused at the bathroom mirror. Once, I could recall the exact conversation, I had spoken to Garak about not wanting to turn thirty because it seemed such a big milestone.

I could also recall the events directly after that conversation, in which I saw myself growing older and older as I nearly succumbed to the Lethian's attack. The gray in my hair far surpassed that which I'd been dreading at 30, but I had grown accustomed to the look. As Ezri had tried to convince me, it made me look distinguished and it made me look more like I knew what I was talking about because it offset how young my face still looked after all these years.

I wondered how Garak would react, seeing me like this. I wondered how I would react as well, seeing Garak now after all these years. Sure, we'd spoken briefly from time to time over subspace, but sometimes the transmissions were so badly garbled that I was unsure if he got a video feed at all.

As I walked out of my quarters, I commanded, for the last time, "Computer, lights." I strolled down the corridor to the turbolift and headed for my next stop, the Infirmary.

I strolled along, pausing occasionally to savor a particularly fond memory. I was going to miss this place. I paused in the doorway on my way out, looking back fondly at the Infirmary that had been my primary station for more than 20 years. Where had the time gone?

After leaving the Infirmary, I only had one more stop. Ops. I stood outside the doors of Kira's office, formerly Captain Sisko's, lingering for a moment before touching the door control.

"Enter," Kira called, and I did.

"Nerys," I said quietly. She looked up, her eyes sparkling the same way they always had. She'd begun to age, as had the rest of us, but her eyes had never lost that youthful spark.

"Julian," she replied, "Is it that time already?" I nodded slightly. She stood up and walked around the desk, and we embraced. I was proud of the relationship we'd built after Sisko went back to be with the Prophets. He'd returned, once, to help Jake through a rough patch, but last anyone knew he'd gone back to the Prophets again.

"I'm afraid so. It won't be so bad, Cardassia's not _that_ far away."

"You'll have to bring him back for a visit. I'm so swamped-" I put a finger to her lips, shaking my head and chuckling.

"I know, I know. Bajor would cease to function if you took a day off. Just promise me you'll visit. Just once. For me. Please?"

"All right. I'll try." She stepped back and looked me up and down. "I never expected you to last this long here, Julian. Remember when you first came? The very first conversation we ever had?"

"How could I forget? Not 10 words out of my mouth and I offended you." We both had a good laugh.

"Go on. Your ship's waiting, Doctor."

"Thank you for everything you've done for me, Nerys."

With that, I turned and exited the office, strode over and got on the turbolift, and left Ops for the very last time.

The trip to Cardassia was uneventful, though the ship I had caught a ride on was rather crowded. Lots of people from all over the quadrant were moving to Cardassia now that it was almost completely rebuilt.

I just hoped that there was room still for me in Garak's life. He didn't know I was coming. He knew something was up from the last letter I'd sent him, but he didn't know what.

Getting off the transport, it was amazing to see what 15 years had done for the planet. There was life! Plants, buildings, people, artwork, I could hardly believe my eyes.

I had arranged to stay in the capitol for a few days, and was relieved when I found that my quarters were not difficult to find. Despite the Cardassia I was greeted with, I was wary of asking for directions. I could never admit it to Garak, but the majority of his race scared me.

The room was nothing like I expected. Well, that's an exaggeration. There were plenty of things similar to the architecture of DS9, but the walls were painted a vibrant green-blue color, the floor polished stone. Art hung on the walls. It was magnificent.

Tired from the journey and despite the adrenaline that had begun to pump into my veins knowing that I was close to being reunited with Garak, I immediately went for the bedroom and set down my bags. I walked over to the bed, good ol' Cardassian beds, at least I wouldn't have to get used to something new and different!

I climbed into the bed, kicking my shoes off. The exact second I got comfortable, of course, the door chimed. I sighed and sat up, my middle-aged body creaking and my joints popping as I stood back up.

I walked back out into the main room and called, "Enter." The door hissed open and a familiar Cardassian strolled in. "Garak," I exclaimed, "how did you-"

"Come now, Doctor, you're not really about to ask me how I knew you were on my home planet now, are you?" He'd hardly aged. Sure, he looked older, some gray in his hair and maybe a couple extra pounds around the waist. His clothes were still perfectly tailored and fashion forward. "It is strange, however, that you didn't just contact me directly instead of going through all this pretense about staying in public housing."

"Well, I figured I should find a place of my own, and this seemed as good a start as any. I'm not with Starfleet anymore, after all." There was a twinkle in his eye and he noticeably perked up. So his information wasn't entirely up to date. I'd managed to surprise him. That, or he hadn't wanted to get his hopes up.

"It's not like you, Doctor." I held up a hand.

"Garak," I said, "I'm just plain, simple Julian Bashir now." He stepped closer and I could tell that he was having a difficult time hiding the smile that was begging to show itself.

"Well then, _plain, simple Julian_," he said the words slowly, "to what does Cardassia owe the pleasure?"

I shook my head, chuckling a slow, almost sad chuckle. "I almost married Ezri. 11 years ago. I proposed, she accepted, there was just one small problem."

"This is a lovely story, I'm sure, but I would like to know what you're getting at, Julian."

I cleared my throat, trying to will my voice to come back to me. _Just tell him, you dolt!_ I scolded myself. "Well, isn't it obvious?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. When he raised a suspicious eyebrow in return, I rolled my eyes, "She wasn't _you_."

He crossed the room quickly; just a few short steps and he was practically on top of me. He pulled me into a tight embrace as our lips met for the first time in almost two decades.

For a few moments, I wasn't an almost 50-year-old and we weren't on Cardassia. No, for a few precious moments we were in the replimat all those years ago when our romance was young. It was as if we'd never lost each other.


	2. Chapter 2

We spent three hours cuddled together on the couch in my new quarters. His skin- so cool, dry, and scaly- felt wonderful against my own, which was warm with a mild fever. My immune system wasn't what it had been when I was in my early thirties and traveling usually meant a minimum of a week of sickness for me now. It seemed this trip would be no exception.

I had begun to fall asleep in Garak's arms when he nudged my arm. "Hmmm?" I murmured, turning my neck to try and face him. I was leaning against his chest, my bum between his legs. He kissed the top of my head, ruffling my hair.

"You feel warm." He paused, and then continued with, "Warmer than I remember, anyway."

I nodded. "Mm I think I'm coming down with something," I said drowsily. Garak wrapped an arm around me extra tight and sat up in one swift and altogether jarring motion. _Great_, I thought, _another symptom. Dizziness._

"Get up," he ordered me. I shook my head, closing my eyes.

"I just need to rest, I'll be fine," I replied, but Garak was having none of it. He pulled me up with him and dragged me to the door.

"You're coming to the infirmary with me right now, young man," was his reply.

"Garak!" I protested, flailing my limbs; an exercise in futility. Even though he had appeared to have let himself go, he was still far stronger than I. And why shouldn't he have been? He'd spent fifteen years rebuilding his home planet. I'd spent fifteen years curing the ills of the Bajorans. Without him or Miles, I'd had no real motivation to work out.

"Julian, I've seen this in many of you Federation-types that've come to help us rebuild. It's not a pretty sight if left untreated. You're coming to the infirmary with me. That's an order."

"Oh really?" I asked. He raised an eye ridge.

"I'm one of the highest ranking members of the new Republic of Cardassia, young man."

"How things have changed," I mused.

"Now, will you come willingly or shall I be forced to drag you?"

"I'll walk, if it's an option."

"That's what I was hoping. Don't want to cause a scene. Though, in _those_ clothes, you'll stick out like a sore thumb."

"You don't happen to know a good tailor, do ya?" I teased as he set me down. He hit the door control and we stepped out into the hall. I only made it a few steps before stumbling and nearly falling flat on my face. Thankfully, Garak's reflexes were far better than mine and he grabbed the collar of my shirt, keeping me upright, more or less.

"You're not exactly inspiring confidence in your ability to walk," he mused. I shook my head.

"Just a bit dizzy, that's all." He helped me into the turbolift at the end of the corridor and I gripped the handrail tightly. "You said other Terrans have been getting sick like this?" I asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately, it seems to be one of the last little things the Dominion left in its wake- Disease. Thankfully, there's only been one recorded death from it, but left untreated… It's not pleasant. It leads to blindness. In some cases, rare though they may be, it's also led to insanity."

"How was I not made aware of this? As a Starfleet Medical Officer-"

"Because there's nothing that can be done about it. We've attempted to eradicate it on several occasions. Starfleet even sent medical officers to help. Multitudes of them. It changes too fast to even be studied long enough to come up with anything of any use."

"Then… What's the point of treating it? How is it treated?" The turbolift shuddered to a halt and my knees buckled. Garak looped his arm around my back, under my arm, and helped me walk on.

"There's a compound in Cardassian blood that keeps it at bay. A simple hypospray of compatible Cardassian blood once every twelve days will keep you well."

"That can't be safe," I protested. He smiled knowingly.

"It's not the most pleasant experience, so I've been told. But don't worry, you shouldn't mutate _too_ severely."

"Hah," I laughed sarcastically.

We turned down another corridor and walked into a dimly lit room, decorated in reds and oranges. "Doctor, I've got a priority one patient here. He's got the-" Garak began, but the Cardassian female who approached us waved him off.

"I can clearly see what he's got, Elim. Get him on that bed over there, we've got our hands full with the rest of the transport that arrived today."

"Jadzia," Garak chided as he helped me onto the bed, "He is to be helped first. He is... He's my…" For once, it seemed that Garak was at a complete loss for words. I was still hung up on the Doctor's name. I had spent so much time away from Cardassians that my ability to guess their ages had slipped. At first, I'd thought she must be at least forty, if not more.

The more I looked at her, combined with her name, suggested that she was no older than I'd been, fresh from med school. She sighed impatiently and scanned me with a tricorder, before saying, curtly, "We've no match for him currently. Our donors have a nasty habit of showing up once and then never again." She turned to address me directly. "Pity. You're Julian Bashir, aren't you?" I nodded. "We could use your expertise, but in your condition…"

"Is there anything that can be done?" Garak asked. Jadzia shook her head.

"I can put him on the waiting list, give you a couple hyposprays to take back to his quarters to help ease the symptoms. His condition does appear stable, though his advanced age might bring about complications."

"Can you test me and see if I'd be a match?" Garak pressed. Jadzia raised an eye ridge in amusement and raised the tricorder to scan him. After a few seconds of scanning, she shook her head.

"Sorry, Elim. He'll just have to wait."

She turned around to a console that stood in the center of the large main room of the infirmary. I looked up at Garak. "Her name's Jadzia?" I asked quietly. He nodded.

"I'll explain later." She turned back around and handed Garak a small satchel that was the same colors as the walls. He cringed at the color taste but took the satchel.

"He needs to have one dose from both sprays every two hours," the young Cardassian doctor explained as she pressed a hypospray to my neck. The instant whatever was loaded in it hit my bloodstream, the dizziness faded. The second hypospray made me feel rather sleepy, however, as it began to lower my temperature. "I've put him on the list and we'll notify you once a donor turns up. We've got a few scheduled to come in later this afternoon. One should be a close match."

"Thank you, Doctor," I said as I pulled myself up. My bones popped, but I was thrilled to find that the ache that seemed permanent in my back from spending so much time sitting in an uncomfortable chair at work was absent. One of the sprays must have had a painkiller in it. I'd have to make a point of finding out precisely what it was.

Elim helped me to my feet as he thanked the doctor his own way, by kissing her hand. A pang of jealousy hit me in the stomach and it was all I could do to not confront him about it. _Relax_, I told myself, _there'll be plenty of time for that back home._ The last word resonated. "Home," I breathed as we exited the infirmary.

"Hmm?" Garak inquired.

"Nothing, nothing. Just mumbling to myself."


End file.
